On one hand
It seems really stupid for me to complain about gasoline prices since we, the American public, pay less for gas than those in just about any other country. The reason? Mainly the low federal tax, about 12% in the United States versus 40%, 50%, and higher around the world. Here I am, about to complain, when the price of gas per gallon is barely more expensive than a gallon of milk or soda, and only twice as expensive as the cheapest bottled water.
On the other hand
I’m less upset about the overall average price compared to the rest of the world than I am the disparity of pricing around the United States. According to various reports in the media, the average price of gas per gallon in the United States is around $1.65, yet the price at the pump in the Bay Area has been around $2.10. That’s almost 30% higher than the average. Odds are, assuming a smooth statistical bell curve, some yahoo in Kentucky is paying only $1.20.
None of it seems very fair, does it?
Update (2012)
Thanks to GasBuddy, there’s no more guesswork and — judging by prices from the previous twelve months — the low-paying yahoo was more likely to be in New Mexico, not in Kentucky.
Now I wish we had petrol prices like you even with the 30% extra around the Bay Area. Over here in the UK, petrol prices are an average 84p per litre so for one of your US gallons (British Gallons are larger), that would be
I personally find it a bit worrying that in the country that consumes by far the largest amount of fossil fuels in the world (I seem to recall reading that the USA consumes around 10 times that of the second largest consumer, which I think is China but don’t quote me on that), the price of petrol is still as cheap as it is. I too live in the U.K and usually fill up my fairly small car for around 28 quid ($44), which lasts me about 250 miles. On the one hand I get really annoyed at having to pay such high prices, but on the other hand I try to convince myself that the government is doing the right thing and hopefully minimizing fuel usage thus saving the environment a little. But then here in the U.K we’re kinda used to being ripped off and paying far more than most other people in the western world… dammit don’t get me started I could go on for hours 😉
OK, according to this site Japan consumes the second largest quantity of oil, and the U.S only consumes around 4 times that amount. But still – interesting reading… http://us.geocities.com/christman19/HowMuchOil.html
The state of Texas, being as large as it is (the size and economy of a small country), is for the same reasons powerful within the United States, almost as much as California. Guess where the oil and subsequent political influence comes from — like you didn’t already know! In 2001, the United States used up 19.6% of the total consumption for the entire world, down from 26% in 1999. And, sadly, the per capita consumpion of oil in the United States (not taking other fossil fuels into consideration) is 25 times that of China. It is amazing that Japan has slightly half the population of the US in an area the size of California. Two-thirds of the oil consumption in the US is due to transportation, mostly freight. – RDL